


Close The Door

by Vespenjabs



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: Awkward Romance, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Love Confessions, They finally get it over with, awkward teens, like geez
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vespenjabs/pseuds/Vespenjabs
Summary: Not long after the failed wedding, Ranma attempts to bring the "will they won't they" narrative between him and Akane to an end. But will it happen? Or will today just be the latest in their endless list of "almost"s?
Relationships: Saotome Ranma/Tendou Akane
Comments: 9
Kudos: 91





	1. Her

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in a rut and a half, so I figured I'd post something for the first time in a few years. This was supposed to be the first couple of chapters in a longer story, but I never got around to fleshing it out fully. So I guess I'll just leave it here as a classic "they finally get it over with" mini-story.
> 
> Not beta'd or anything special, just seemed like a waste to leave it rotting in my documents folder. 
> 
> Enjoy!

It was happening again. 

Akane’s eyes were locked with Ranma’s, the two of them in the dojo all alone. The only sound other than their breathing was the rain tormenting the creaking ceiling. He’d taken advantage of her accidental stumble backward near the wall and trapped her between his arms with his hands planted on either side of her head. The position was enough to make Akane’s heart beat so loudly that she couldn’t hear herself think. Ranma might have had faster reflexes but it took him a little longer to read the atmosphere. 

“Heh, I told you you’re no match…for…uh…” 

As they both started to blush, Akane wondered how many times she and Ranma found themselves in this kind of position. Right on the verge of a kiss, just about to say something that might change their relationship forever… A painfully short eternity that managed to end in nonsense and embarrassment, locking both parties out of ever talking about it again for fear of looking foolish. 

Both were panting from the workout that got them into this predicament and it only added to the thickening tension. Breath was just barely visible in this cold, rainy air. If it wasn’t pouring so ferociously outside, Akane was sure everyone in the house would have been able to hear her breathing.

The first few times they were this close, Akane felt lost, like she was crossing into unknown territory. Like anything could happen at any moment and she’d just be willing to go with it. But now it was as familiar as her walk home from school. She could recite how these “almost” moments played out at this point. First, they both become painfully aware of the situation they were in. It started with mutual blushing. 

Check. 

Next, someone’s face would soften and say the other’s name. 

“Akane…” 

Ranma’s turn to go first, apparently. She could see the difference in his eyes when his face relaxed. This was her favorite part of these “almost” moments between them. Ranma’s blush was still there, but his eyes weren’t scared anymore. They were dark and serious, filled with resolve. Akane loved the shiver that wracked her body whenever he looked at her like that, and it took every ounce of control she had to keep herself from visibly quaking. As she quietly rode out the feeling, she allowed her own facial muscles to release their tension. 

“Ranma…” Her voice was breathier than intended. It was almost inaudible over the downpour spattering the whining roof. 

And now the good part. The last step. The soon-to-be-failed attempt by Ranma to close the gap between them. As he slowly got closer, Akane tried not to let herself get too excited. How many times had they been this close? How many times had she gotten swept up in the moment and let herself be open to whatever was coming, only to have Shampoo or Kuno or their family burst in to ruin it all? 

Ranma’s eyes were half-lidded and one of his hands had moved to cup her cheek. That was new. Even in these times when they were bolder, physical contact was minimal. She started getting excited again but quickly shushed herself internally. Any second now something was going to come in and trash this moment, she knew it. But the feeling of Ranma’s warm hand on her face was so comforting. Before she could stop herself, she nuzzled her cheek into his palm, letting her eyes close. 

Maybe something was going to come and ruin this moment between them, but for this instant, she was going to pretend that nothing would. That this would be the start of something special. It was a trap she’d fallen into so many times, but when they got this close, her resolve never stood a chance.

Akane could feel Ranma’s breath barely centimeters from her own, and his other hand coming up to cup her other cheek. His thumbs gently grazed her just underneath her temples. In his hands, she felt so safe, so secure in everything. He tilted her head slightly for better access. His lips were so close to hers that she felt them move as he spoke. 

“Don't move…” 

CRASH! 

A huge commotion sounded above her head and the couple quickly pulled away to look up just in time to see a small amount of debris with tons of water heading right for them. Before she knew what was happening, Akane felt herself flying out of the way just as everything hit the floor, being thrown to the side by Ranma. Akane was so surprised she almost couldn’t regain her balance from being thrown, but she managed to catch herself and land safely on her feet. 

“Are you serious? The ROOF caved in?!” A female Ranma stood there cursing the new hole above where they were and swatting away the rain that had splashed onto her front. She turned to face Akane. “Hey, are you okay?” 

Akane nodded. She looked from the rain coming in through the hole and back to Ranma. Right on time, something had come to ruin it all. She’d known the disruption was coming but she hadn’t expected it from Mother Nature herself. 

“I hate being wet,” Ranma muttered to herself, trying to wring some of the moisture that had drenched her shirt. “Akane, can you tell your dad to fix the roof? I need a bath.” 

“Uh… sure.” Gathering her thoughts quickly, Akane rushed out of the dojo. 

She found her father in the living room watching television. As she told him what had happened, she put her body on autopilot to think about what had just transpired between her and Ranma. 

How many more times would she have to live through these close encounters before one finally resulted in…something? Hell, the failed wedding only a couple of weeks ago had been the ultimate “almost” between them. They’d been dressed, everything was set up, plenty of people there to witness their ceremony. Who could’ve known everything would go so wrong? 

After Soun left to get the tools needed to repair the roof and enlist Genma’s help in the matter (a panda’s strength was always welcome in these tasks), Akane reached her fingers up to gently graze her lips. 

Right there… he’d been… no, they’d been right there. On the brink of change for the millionth time. 

This was the first time since the botched wedding that they’d come close to something like that. Though the routine was so familiar in Akane’s head, she still managed to hope that after everything that had happened at Jusendo, after learning Ranma’s true feelings, and after showing him that she was willing to permanently tie her life to his, just maybe this time they’d go through with it. 

Akane quietly made her way upstairs to her room to keep from disturbing anyone else in the house. If she was pulled into a conversation now, she might just lose it. 

\-----


	2. Him

Ranma thanked Soun and her old man for getting to work on the repairs as she headed off to the bathroom to change back. As she slid the door closed behind her, Ranma took a deep breath and growled it out, burying her palms in her eyes as she leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. 

Just one more second and Akane would have been hers. Damnit!

Leaning her head back to peak her eyes beyond her fingers at the ceiling, Ranma recalled the entire scene from start to finish. When suggesting to Akane that they spar in the dojo after dinner, Ranma had every intention of bringing them into a compromising position. It wouldn’t be hard. Akane’s form was good, but she always had so many openings. Even though he’d never hit her, dodging her moves in a way that might trip her up into a position that would better suit his intentions would be easy. 

A flash of memory wracked Ranma’s mind. Akane standing in her room, turning around in that elegant wedding gown and looking more beautiful than ever. Those blue flowers in her hair complimented the ones she held and made her eyes pop so fully that Ranma felt lost just remembering how deep they’d been. She was nothing short of radiant that day. And willing to spend the rest of her life with him… 

After their parents decided to postpone the wedding until their affairs were in order, Ranma found himself laying awake at night, thinking about what could have been. He’d look over at a less-than-graceful human (or more often, panda) Genma slovenly snoring to his right and think about how close he’d been to never sharing a room with his father again. Ranma had been mere hours away from turning the person on his right from good-for-nothing father to a peacefully sleeping Akane. There would be no one opposed to a married couple sharing a bed. The thought alone was enough to turn Ranma beet red. 

If Akane had agreed to their marriage, had she thought about this, too? And everything else that came with being bound to Ranma for the rest of her life? 

Ranma started getting out of her wet clothes. When she finished, she walked into the bathroom and removed the cover of the tub, letting the trapped steam fill the room. They hadn’t talked much since the failed wedding and when they did it certainly had nothing to do with both of their indirect confessions. Ranma slipped quickly into the practically scalding water, retaking a male form almost instantaneously. 

This morning, there was a plan. Today, he was going to do something about it. He was going to get himself and Akane close enough that a quick kiss couldn’t be stopped by anyone or anything trying to get in their way, and what activity allotted more opportunities for that than a good spar? 

Getting Akane to trip over her own feet close enough to the wall that Ranma could pin her there was harder than he expected. Much to his surprise (and pride), his fiancée had been practicing. She was not the constantly open, impulsive fighter he’d always known her to be, but Ranma was still superior. Some clever jumps and ducks brought her close to the edge of the room, just according to plan though he lost his breath evading her attacks. He faked one way, pulled back at the last second and practically grinned as she tried to quickly regain her footing. When he planted his hands on either side of her head with a thud, he played his line over in his head as he’d done all morning. 

“You’re no match for me, Akane,” he’d say, cool as ever. Akane would look up into his eyes and be her usual, furious self as she was whenever he bested her. That fire in her eyes was something he loved seeing, especially up close. But the moment before she could retaliate, he’d lower his face down swiftly, hovering over her mouth for just an instant to let her realize what was about to happen. He’d gaze one last time at her eyes, confused yet excited, close his own, then eradicate the distance between them. 

Panting from a better work out than he expected didn’t keep Ranma from laughing a little as he recited, “You’re no match…for… uh…” 

Akane’s eyes weren’t on fire. They weren’t reading his body in an attempt to figure out the best course of escape from this barely passable pin. Of course they were alert, but instead of overflowing with determination to win, Ranma was stunned to see…excitement? 

She knew exactly what was happening. She knew he was going for it, and instead of shying away, or making up an excuse, Akane locked her gaze to his with her blush in full bloom. He could read her eager eyes better than any opponent’s moves. 

I want this. I want YOU. They were the most piercing things he’d ever seen. 

Akane’s knowing stare caught Ranma off guard as he lost himself in her patiently waiting gaze. He felt the blush creep onto his cheeks and couldn’t stop himself from saying the only thing on his mind. 

“Akane…” 

He couldn’t be luckier, he decided, than to be this close to her, to their future, and to have her looking so willing to jump in with him. Ranma felt his face relax and focused all his energy on communicating with his eyes. He focused on the deepest part of her wide open windows to reassure her that they were in this together. 

“Ranma…” She spoke back in a voice so hushed and breathy it made Ranma think of sharing a bed with her again. 

Bringing one hand from the wall over to her face to cup her cheek, Ranma expected her to shy away from the touch despite the bravery she’d displayed up until now. But Akane naturally responded to his palm by leaning into it. Her skin was slightly cooler than his naturally warm hands, and when he felt her willing response to his touch, it took all Ranma had not to crash into her mouth right then and there. 

But he no longer wanted to rush this moment. This was only the beginning. He wanted to take in the sight of Akane’s tensionless, gentle face resting at his mercy right there in his hands. At some point, the other one had copied its twin in holding her perfectly adorable features to frame the putty she was becoming in his hands. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and a full flush decorated her face still. He thought his chest might explode if he waited any longer, but he held off for one more second to tell her what was taking him so long.

Ranma could feel his heart pounding all over his body as he leaned in close enough to tap their foreheads together. The pins of excitement running rampant through his blood almost made him choke. 

“Don't move…” 

He'd come too far. THEY'D come too far. He just had to lean in a bit more.

And then… 

Ranma clenched his fists as he sat in the tub, steadily breathing the steam in the air. It took everything in his power not to punch his frustrations straight through the wall. He was only just realizing he’d forgotten to rinse himself before sitting in the water the rest of the family would have to use. Kasumi was going to be annoyed. He’d run another bath when he was done. 

He wondered if Akane wanted to take a bath right now. Maybe he should hurry up and get out so he could talk to her. In those moments after the roof caved in and he turned into a girl, Ranma didn’t draw attention to what they’d just been doing. Ranma didn’t want to acknowledge in that moment that they had been thwarted yet again. Having just turned into a girl, Ranma hadn’t wanted to ruin the mood more than it already had been. So she sent Akane away and directed herself to the bathroom to regroup. Which is what he was doing right now. Or supposed to be doing. 

So, what was the new plan? 

Rain pitter-pattered against the ajar pitch-black windows near the ceiling of the bathroom though it was almost impossible to see since night had officially fallen. The occasional drop flitted in from outside and was immediately lost to the mist of the steam soaked room. Akane was probably in her room for the night. She might come down to bathe once Ranma was done, but other than that, she’d probably turned in for the night. 

He knew leaving her alone tonight wasn’t an option. If he wanted to make any progress with Akane, Ranma knew he had to talk to her. He’d go up to her room, ask her if she was okay, and somehow get close to her again… 

The idea of that kind of proximity to Akane in her room almost crumbled his resolve. The dojo was one thing. It was the space where Ranma felt the most comfortable of anywhere in the house. It was his playing field. Trying to confess his feelings through actions in Akane’s was much more frightening than he wanted to admit. 

‘But I can’t just… give up!’ He thought this with all the strength he could muster. Ignoring the pestering question of whether his cheeks were burning from the thought of being alone with Akane in her room or from the steam of the tub, Ranma allowed the water to drain and ran another hot water bath before covering the tub for the next person to use. He quickly dressed in a white tank top and his usual loose black pants. As he tied the knot of his belt, Ranma grit his teeth and nodded to himself. 

‘This ends tonight.’ 


	3. Them

Akane had long finished all of the homework assigned for the week. That left her nothing to do but reflect on everything that had happened between her and Ranma in the dojo. 

It didn’t matter if they were engaged. How were they supposed to spend the rest of their lives together if the universe wouldn’t even allow them one measly kiss? 

She supposed she should count her blessings that what interrupted them this time hadn’t been a persistent suitor, a family member, or other randomness that never ceased to leave them alone. Just a creaky roof. 

Only a second more and… 

Akane, who had been sitting upright on her bed over the covers, threw herself back to lay amongst her pillows. Her now outstretched legs toed the clothes she’d been wearing before changing into her pajamas for the night that were strewn about the bottom corner of her bed. The bed’s wooden backboard felt cool under the backs of her hands as she let her arms come down above her head. Another time and place, Akane might have spent the energy to cry out of frustration that she and Ranma might never be together.

A clear image flashed behind her eyes. She was resting in Ranma’s arms, looking up at him as he wept pain-soaked tears onto her face. He was thanking her for all her help, apologizing for being so terrible with words, and finally confessing to her because he believed her dead. She’d heard all of this while being unable to move, and when her strength returned enough to open her eyes, Ranma’s face revealed a man who was broken. Broken because he thought he’d lost her. 

Nothing he could ever say, out loud or otherwise, could show Akane how much he cared more than that face had. 

Kicked from her thoughts by two quick knocks, she had no idea what to do when in her open doorway stood a still dripping Ranma, standing there with two knuckles poised against her door. Akane realized she hadn’t even heard him come up the stairs. She sat up quickly and threw her legs over the edge of the bed to stand up. Had her door been open this whole time? Why hadn’t Nabiki or Kasumi come to bother her? Had they gone out? She realized that she hadn’t seen them when she passed the living room earlier. But there was no time to dwell on these questions because Ranma spoke.

“Mind if I come in?” 

Akane shook her head and gestured for him to do as he pleased. 

As he stepped in, Akane watched Ranma thoughtfully look over his shoulder for a moment before reaching down to grab the handle of her door. She caught the pink on his cheeks as he asked the next question. “Open or closed?” 

Her eyes shifted between the doorknob and his face, which was watching her expectantly. She had a feeling he was asking for something else. 

“Closed.” 

Her nervous gulp was timed perfectly with the closing of her door to hide her hesitation. Ranma took a visible shaky breath before he turned from the now shut door. Clearly she wasn’t the only one feeling the fear because the pigtailed boy debated between the bed and desk chair before ultimately choosing the latter to sit on. She sat back down on her bed. For someone who had been so confident earlier in the dojo, Akane felt like a completely different person was sitting before her. 

The house was silent. Even the rain was starting to peter off into a drizzle that wasn’t powerful enough to sustain the constant wet tapping at the window Akane had been hearing for the past hour. An echo of hammers pounding against the roof the dojo barely carried through the house, making the betrothed pair feel even more secluded. Deafening silence made the room feel even more closed off than the shut door. All light in the room came from a single desk lamp meant for individual study. 

“I uh, I think the old men are almost done fixing the roof,” Ranma laughed. 

“That’s good,” Akane replied. She kept her eyes lowered, focused on the fibers in her carpet. “I’m not sure how comfortable I feel practicing in there when it’s raining anymore.” 

“Heh, yeah…” 

There was a long pause between them. Akane knew that each second was precious. The universe was allotting her and her fiancée not one but TWO close encounters in the same day and she’d be a fool to waste this miracle on small talk. Nabiki and Kasumi were nowhere to be found, their fathers were making repairs, no one had seen Happosai in weeks… It was now or never and they were still pushing past awkward chatter. Akane wondered if the dojo had been a better place to get close to Ranma since they were both so comfortable in the midst of combat. The confidence from this evening was gone from both of them and she knew it had to be the change in scenery. At least this was her room. She always felt safe in her room, though she couldn't imagine Ranma did. Maybe if she could calm down and show a little more determination, like the kind Ranma had shown her earlier, they might make some progress… 

Suddenly, Ranma cleared his throat forcefully. “Akane, there’s something I want to tell--” 

“Yes?!” Akane quickly closed her mouth and covered it with her fingertips when she realized how eagerly she’d responded. She blushed. “Sorry.” 

“N-No it’s fine,” Ranma assured her. He sat facing her, but his eyes were looking just above her head. He still wasn’t ready to meet her gaze again. 

‘Come on, Ranma,’ she egged him on from inside her head. ‘You were so confident before…’ 

“I uh don’t think I ever th-thanked you for agreeing to the wedding.” It came out like a car wreck, with words crashing into each other that resulted in a pileup. Ranma’s hands were balled into fists that clutched his pants around his knees, the only things stabilizing him from losing his mind, Akane was sure. What she wasn't sure of was what he meant. 

“W-what are you talking about?” 

“Y-y’know, the wedding… I mean, uh… weddings are…are hard, y’know? And what if like, you messed up? But you didn’t mess up, you just did it! You didn’t care if you messed up, you just went for it because it meant so much to me. That’s crazy!” 

There was another pause. 

“So…I… messed up the wedding?” Akane was trying to keep calm. 

“What? No!!” 

“So I’m crazy??” Her tone spiked higher. 

“No no no!! Akane I didn’t mean--! Damnit, why am I so bad with words??” 

“Just spit it out, Ranma!” 

“Thank you for agreeing to marry me just to get the Nannichuan water!!” 

Akane stared at him for a moment. When he didn’t hear her protest, Ranma continued. 

“You knew how much it meant to me to have that water and so you let our dads talk you into us getting married early. That was uh… really selfless of you.” 

She wasn’t sure where to start with this. Had Ranma really stopped and thought about how she felt the day she agreed to marry him? How waiting in that room in that puffy wedding dress that made her feel like a princess she always dreamed of being was simultaneously the best and most frightening moment of her life? That she was ready to throw away high school, college, and any other plans to start a family with him this early on? And yet, despite all her fears, all her hesitations, Akane remembered the moment Ranma walked through the door, demanding to know why she’d agreed. Seeing his face look at her with those loving eyes that were seared into her mind when she came back from the dead solidified everything. She forgot the water completely for a moment. 

Now, with Ranma mere feet away from her, Akane felt a confidence building within her that she imagined was what she saw behind Ranma’s eyes every time they came close to a kiss. 

“I would have said yes without the water,” she said gently. With her legs hanging over the bed, Akane dragged herself a little forward on the floor with her heels to be close enough to rest her hand over one of Ranma’s clenched fists. For the first time since closing the door, Ranma finally looked into her eyes. He looked scared, hesitant, and yet… excited. 

‘I want this. I want YOU.’ His eyes read like a book. 

Akane pushed herself onto her feet and stood before him. The hand on his fist traced slowly up Ranma’s arm to rest on his shoulder. Noticing some of the droplets of water still hanging from his hair after his bath, Akane gingerly ran her fingers through his bangs and flicked them to the away, shaking the water from her fingertips before taking his chin between her thumb and forefinger. The shiver she felt course briefly through his skin filled her with a previously unknown level of satisfaction. She made sure he was staring straight into her eyes before she felt her face soften even further into a smile. 

“Ranma…” she said. 

Her voice made him melt in her hands. Akane felt his fists loosen from his legs as his hands came up to rest on her waist. 

“Akane.” He said it firmly. 

Akane wasn’t used to looking down to see Ranma’s face the way she was now. The hand on his shoulder came up to graze the right side of his face with the back of her fingers. Her heart absolutely skipped a beat when she heard Ranma practically purr into the sensation. At some point, her face had started its descent to close the gap between them and she only noticed when her forehead met his. The hands on her waist slowly moved up to rest on both cheeks, the thumbs gently petting the skin just beneath her temples. Glancing over her fiancée’s features one last time before closing her eyes, she restrained a moan at the sight of his flushing face, his half-lidded eyes filled with desire, and his ever so slightly parted mouth ready to receive her. 

And even lost in all this bliss, Akane couldn’t help herself. 

"Don't move."

With a snicker, she gave Ranma the briefest peck right on the lips. 

Instantly, Ranma’s whole body leaned forward to commit to that kiss and found nothing but air. His eyes shot open in shock. She winked and giggled. “How's that for a first kiss?” 

Before she realized want was happening, she felt a strong pressure on the back of her head thrusting her towards Ranma again. His hand had moved from her cheek to her neck as he shut his eyes again and pulled her down into a kiss fiercer than anything Akane could have imagined. Their lips moved together, desperately trying to take in as much of the other as they could. Akane felt her knees going weak at the power of Ranma’s kiss, but he quickly swept her into his lap so she was on top of him. Her hands threaded themselves through his hair as she allowed him to ravage her mouth, his need coming through even more clearly than her own. In the shift, they broke only for an instant. 

He growled. “Tease.” 

He was on her mouth again before she had a chance to respond. Akane didn’t know how Ranma knew exactly what to do to make her come undone, but the moment he slipped his tongue into her mouth just enough to graze the underside of her own she couldn’t stop a moan from escaping her throat. His terrible poker skills rang true as he started grinning into their kiss, no doubt feeling a smug victory over getting Akane to make such a lewd sound just from this. 

She wanted to get him back for that. For making her body feel like mush when he mockingly retained so much control. But right now she couldn't function. All she could focus on was feeling Ranma, touching Ranma, doing her damnedest to bring their bodies even closer together. She couldn’t fight his passion right now and she didn’t want to. Instead, Akane felt herself letting go of any restraint she’d had on her voice. 

Ranma’s kiss was hungry and his touch was no different. His hands at some point began to travel from her face to her back, massaging her muscles as he navigated the unfamiliar territory, mapping as best he could over her clothes. At the same time, his lips finally gave hers a break as he started to trail kisses from the corner of her mouth all the way to the crook of her neck to which he had perfect access. The little moans that escaped her as his lips traveled across her skin elicited a rough growl from his throat that reverberated to her own. Akane couldn’t control the little buck her hips did in response to the vibrating feeling of his voice. She could feel something hard in Ranma’s normally loose trousers against the front of her pajama bottoms that made her blush harder. Her movement made Ranma let out a moan himself. 

“Aah…” His voice was rough. Akane had never heard Ranma use this voice before and she silently wished she’d be the only one to ever hear him use it. 

He pulled his mouth from her neck and brought her head down to touch foreheads with his. Unconscious panting from both of them was the only sound in the room. 

“…You okay?” Ranma’s voice was shaky and quiet.

Akane nodded her head shyly against his. “You?” 

“I’m… I think I’m dreaming.” 

She blushed and laughed quietly. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” he breathed as he absentmindedly stroked her back, “it’s the only time I kiss you like that.” 

A jolt of desire sparked from Akane’s very core. 

“You kiss me in your dreams?” 

Akane could feel an embarrassed Ranma tense up beneath her, his hand frozen on the small of her back. Clearly he had shared that tidbit without realizing what he was saying. His eyes avoided hers as his face became redder. Was he going to back out like he always did? 

“I… uh… I… y-yeah I d-do. S-s-sometimes.” 

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Ranma admitted it? Gently, Akane lifted her head and placed a kiss on his forehead. Nuzzling him again, she found his eyes staring back at hers and it almost crushed her resolve. Almost.

“M-me too--S-sometimes,” she added quickly. 

“O-oh.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Sometimes…” 

“Sometimes…” 

“More…” they whispered together. 

The air was thick with sweat and the sound of minds going blank. Akane couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. 

“H-hey! That wasn’t easy to say y’know,” Ranma grumbled as he shifted his head away from hers. 

“I’m not laughing at you… I’m laughing at us.” 

“…That’s still me.” 

“But it’s me, too! Just look at us, Ranma!” 

“What?? I don’t get it!” 

“We’re engaged. We’re getting married, but we can’t even make it past a kiss without freaking out!” 

“But th-that’s so far from now!!” 

“But it’s true… God, can you imagine if the wedding hadn’t failed and our first real kiss had been at the altar?”

“I--! Hey! I mean--“ 

“What?” Akane scoffed. Finding a droplet of confidence in the flood of excitement, she snuck her way to the crook of Ranma’s neck before giving it a nibble. His breath hitched and she felt his back go rigid. She pulled back to give him a playful, incredulous look. “You don’t think you’re gonna kiss me like that in front of my father, do you?” 

Akane was still snickering under her breath when Ranma brought his hands up to gently guide her face down to his again. This kiss was softer, slower than the first. Ranma inhaled as he deepened it, leaving Akane in a state of bliss. A contented sigh escaped her. She let her arms drape over his shoulders as her lips lazily followed his movements. He gently moved his kisses from her mouth, along her cheek, and up to her ear. One of his hands had moved behind her to stroke her back again, but this time he’d snuck his hand under her yellow top. She didn’t protest as he rubbed all the way up her back, no doubt realizing she wasn’t wearing a bra. 

“Maybe not,” he practically purred as he mulled the possibility over his tongue. “But we’re alone now,” Ranma’s voice was so low, yet managed to ricochet in Akane’s ears as he laid a chaste kiss on her earlobe before pulling back to meet her eyes with a smirk. 

“So I think… I’ll kiss you however I want.” 

Akane could feel her heart pounding all over her body. The matter-of-factness in Ranma’s voice, the unyielding confidence that he knew she wouldn’t disagree… that he knew she wanted it that way. It was so infuriating and so relieving all at once. A chill passed through the throbbing space between her legs as she shifted a bit. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been reacting to everything… 

Oh no!! What if... Had she... 

Suddenly being mortified that she might have LEAKED onto Ranma, she jumped up from her seat and stumbled back onto her bed, making sure to hold her legs tight together. Her hands tucked under her thighs and she was suddenly making eye contact with the floor. Thank goodness for their fooling around for at least giving her a blush to hide this new embarrassment. 

“W-what? What did I say??” Ranma shot up from his chair and fell back a step, hands frozen in front of him in recusal. 

“H-huh? N-no it’s nothing—“ 

“I-I was just trying to be smooth, y’know? I thought you were into it—“ 

“I-I was-“ 

“But I care about what you want, too, obviously-“ 

“Ranma, I just-“ 

“I don’t wanna do anything you’re not into-” 

“RANMA!” 

He yelped at her outburst and slapped his hands over his mouth to keep from offending her more. Watching him panic was absolutely adorable. Akane brought one hand up to stifle a giggle that slipped through the embarrassment. 

“Ranma, I’m not upset,” she said. She tried to glance up at him, but quickly lost her gumption and returned her gaze downwards. “I was just… excited. Maybe too excited…” 

Because Akane was too shy to look at him in this moment, she didn’t know if he really understood what had happened when he finally responded with a semi-understanding “O-oh…” 

A silence that seemed to last forever settled between them. Akane wished they could go back to the chair. She scolded herself for jumping away and ruining the mood. After everything it had taken just to get them to kiss, she couldn’t imagine the kind of luck it would take to get them back into a comfortable enough place to do it again. Ranma slowly stepped towards her and squatted down so his hands could tentatively rest on her knees. His eyes asked hers for permission before he let them down fully. 

“So… you liked it?” he asked, far too shyly for a boy who minutes ago had his hand up her shirt. 

“What kind of question is that??” 

“I don’t know, you’re the one who jumped away!” 

Without thinking her hands came from under her thighs to rest on his. She gave his fists an assuring squeeze as she gently smiled at him. A force-of-habit shade of pink warmed her cheeks as she quietly spelled it out for him. 

“I kissed you, you dope…Of course I liked it.” 

“Yeah?” His hands uncurled onto her thighs, making her heart jump a bit. They slowly made their way up to the tops of her hips as he brought his face closer, hovering just under her mouth. He spoke so close to her that she felt his lips move on hers. She tried to make eye contact, but his eyeline went straight to her mouth. “So I can kiss you again?”

Even with her heart pounding in her ears again, Akane managed a stifled, breathy giggle. In the same way he had, she slowly slid her hands along his arms up to his shoulders, feeling the goosebumps rise to meet her fingertips as she did. Her soft hands rested where his neck met his body as she leaned her forehead to touch his again. 

“I suppose.”

“Whenever I want?” 

“I don’t know about that.” 

“Well, how about now?” 

She giggled again. Her hands laced together behind his neck and brought him a few centimeters closer. 

“Of course.”


End file.
